The object of the game of golf is to place the ball into the cup at each hole using the least number of strokes to the ball. Thus, accuracy in striking the ball is of great importance. This is particularly true when the player is "putting" the ball into the cup at short distances from the cup.
Some important principles of putting are: (1) causing the putter to contact the ball at the correct angle, so that the golf ball travels in the direction intended by the golfer; (2) causing the ball to contact the putter at the center of the striking face ("the sweet spot"), so that the ball is struck at the center of gravity of the clubhead at the point of the most efficient impact; (3) using the proper shallow pendulum stroke; and (4) maintaining a comfortable stance with proper view of the ball.
A common error in putting occurs when the golfer incorrectly grips the putter handle and unintentionally rotates his hands about the longitudinal axis of the shaft causing the putter head to rotate away from its desired position. The rotation of the hand "opens" or "closes" the club face with respect to the ball such that the ball is "pushed" or "pulled" away from the direction in which the player is aiming the ball. Such an angular displacement deflects the ball away from the desired path by twice the angular displacement of the club head striking face. Thus, even small angles of displacement can have significant impact on the direction the ball will travel. Such angular displacements are one of the prime causes of missed putts that result in poor scores among golfers. Another common error in putting occurs when the golfer strikes the ball at the lateral portions of the striking face, instead of striking the ball at the center of the striking face. Additional problems arise when the golfer inadvertently contacts the surface of the putting green during the putting swing and thus fails to deliver a proper, even and shallow, pendulum stroke during the putt. When the golfer unintentionally hits the surface of the putting green in this manner, the club head is displaced resulting in a mis-hit.
In the past, golf putters have been designed with various markings or indicia to assist the golfer in aligning the center of mass of the club head with the center of the ball. Such putters, however, do little to help the golfer avoid "opening" or "closing" the club face. Such putters also do little to help the golfer avoid hitting the green during the shallow pendulum stroke.
The need arises to provide golfers with a golf putter which overcomes the above-described problems associated with putting that have not been solved by previously devised golf putters. It would be desirable to provide a golf putter with significant breadth such that even small angles of displacement of the club head are more readily detectable by the golfer. This way the player's tendency to open or close the striking face of the club head is minimized. It is also desirable to provide a golf putter which is designed to augment the ability of the golfer to accurately strike the ball at the "sweet spot." It is also desirable to provide a golf putter which enables a golfer to swing the putter in a arc directly perpendicular to a plane extending centrally though the golf ball and aligned with the intended path of movement of the golf ball without striking the ground.